Matthew Welch has a famous surname in Hollywood, but he has never built his identity around celebrity. As the eldest son of Catherine O’Hara and production designer Bo Welch, he grew up around filmmaking before eventually working behind the scenes himself.
Who Is Matthew Welch?
Matthew Welch is the eldest son of the late actress Catherine O’Hara and production designer and director Bo Welch. Public reporting places his birth year at 1994, while his younger brother Luke was born in 1997.
Unlike his mother, known for Home Alone, Beetlejuice and Schitt’s Creek, Matthew has largely avoided an on-camera career. The available information instead points to work in the art and construction side of film and television.
That distinction matters. Online biographies sometimes describe Matthew and Luke interchangeably because both brothers entered the production world. However, Catherine O’Hara herself provided a clearer explanation of their different roles.
His Parents Were Already Deeply Connected to Hollywood
Matthew was born into a family with strong filmmaking credentials.
His mother, Catherine O’Hara, built a decades-long acting career, while his father, Bo Welch, became known as a production designer and director. Bo’s credits include major films such as Edward Scissorhands and Men in Black.
The couple first met while working on Beetlejuice in 1988. They married in April 1992 and later welcomed Matthew and Luke.
That background helps explain why Matthew’s eventual career path was not entirely unexpected. He grew up around sets, production crews and the practical work required to create the worlds audiences see on screen.
Matthew Chose Work Behind the Camera
The strongest public evidence about Matthew’s profession comes from Catherine O’Hara herself.
In a conversation about her family, O’Hara explained that both of her sons worked in the art department. She specifically identified Matthew as working in set construction, including hands-on construction work with a contractor in Los Angeles.
That is different from being a production designer.
A production designer helps establish the overall visual direction of a production. Set construction, by comparison, involves the practical process of turning designs into physical structures that can withstand filming and function as intended.
O’Hara described Matthew as learning to build things that had to “stand the test of time,” giving a rare glimpse into the practical nature of his work.
His Connection to Schitt’s Creek
Matthew also has a direct connection to the series that became one of his mother’s defining projects.
According to O’Hara’s interviews, both Matthew and Luke worked behind the scenes on Schitt’s Creek. One worked in set construction while the other worked as a set dresser.
The distinction is important because some online articles have incorrectly blurred the brothers’ individual roles.
Available reporting supports Matthew’s connection with set construction, while Luke has been identified as the brother working as a set dresser. O’Hara herself made this distinction when discussing their careers.
Did Matthew Welch Work on The Last of Us?
This is where the available information becomes less certain.
In 2024, O’Hara revealed that one of her sons was working as a set dresser on The Last of Us. However, she did not identify that son by name in the relevant comments.
Because O’Hara separately identified Matthew as working in set construction and Luke as a set dresser in Vancouver, later reports have generally associated the Last of Us set-dressing work with Luke.
There is no sufficiently direct public source confirming that Matthew himself worked on the series. Any claim presenting that credit as definite should therefore be treated cautiously.
What Is Known About His Personal Life?
Very little.
Matthew has not developed the public profile associated with his mother’s career. Major entertainment coverage describes both brothers as private, and there is limited reliable information about Matthew’s relationships, social-media activity, education or personal interests.
That lack of information is significant. It means claims about a supposed partner, exact lifestyle, private residence or personal net worth should not automatically be treated as established facts.
The available record tells us considerably more about Matthew’s professional background than his private life.
Catherine O’Hara’s Influence
Although Matthew chose a behind-the-scenes career, his mother’s comments suggest she was proud of both sons’ work.
O’Hara frequently spoke about family as a priority. In interviews, she explained that she had carefully considered professional opportunities while raising her children because she wanted to be present in their lives.
She also described both sons as funny, saying their humor was encouraged at home. Matthew, she recalled, enjoyed old Warner Bros. cartoon-style comedy when he was younger, while Luke had a fondness for wordplay.
The Story Behind Matthew Welch
The public picture of Matthew Welch is therefore surprisingly straightforward.
He is Catherine O’Hara and Bo Welch’s eldest son, born in 1994, who entered the entertainment industry without becoming an entertainer himself. His documented work has centered on set construction and production, including work connected with Schitt’s Creek.
Following Catherine O’Hara’s death in January 2026, public interest in her family naturally increased. But Matthew’s story remains less about celebrity and more about the largely unseen people who physically help create the worlds audiences watch on screen.
And that may be the most revealing fact of all: despite growing up in one of Hollywood’s better-known creative families, Matthew Welch appears to have chosen to build his career behind the camera rather than in front of it.
